With full camp, Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott plans to contend for 3rd rushing title
Don’t expect 2020 Ezekiel Elliott to be any fresher than the 2019 version at the start of last season, when the Cowboys running back missed all of training camp in a contract dispute.
Being fresh was the least of Elliott’s concerns heading to last season, after spending a month working out at a Mexican beach side resort in Cabo San Lucas before signing a six-year, $90 million contract extension four days before the season opener.
But do expect a better-in-2020 Elliott after a full training camp, one who plans to compete for the rushing title again.
“Fresher? I was pretty fresh [last year],” Elliott said with a laugh. “Better. I definitely feel in tune. I have been playing football the last three weeks. Coming off the holdout, I jumped right into practice, the first day in pads and then literally three or four days later was playing on Sunday.”
Elliott said having the three weeks in camp with his teammates and being able to see where the run fits should result in a better start than a year ago when he finished fourth in league rushing with a full season low of 1,357 yards.
He rushed for only 983 yards in 2017 when he missed six games due to an NFL suspension. He won the NFL rushing title in 2016 and 2018, with 1,631 and 1,434 yards, respectively.
Elliott has already said the Cowboys have more talent in 2020 than any team he’s ever been on.
And he readily acknowledges that the offense is especially potent with a passing game that returns a 4,900-yard passer from a year ago in Dak Prescott as well as two 1,000-yard receivers in Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup and has added game-breaking rookie CeeDee Lamb.
But he believes the rushing title is a legitimate goal for him, again.
“For sure. For sure. Just based off of my mentality as a football player, one, and that O-line we’ve got in front of us and all of the weapons on the outside,” Elliott said. “With my ability, I expect out of myself to be in the running for that rushing title.”
Also look for Elliott to catch more passes in 2020 as he and fellow running back Tony Pollard will be used as a receivers out of the backfield, in the slot and split out wide in new coach Mike McCarthy’s offense.
But make no mistake about it: McCarthy plans to get him the ball. Elliott is the most talented back McCarthy has had to work with since his days as offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints when he had Ricky Williams and Deuce McAllister. McCarthy never had a back quite like Elliott in his 13-year stint as the Green Bay Packers head coach, when he gained the reputation of not being friendly to running backs.
What has impressed McCarthy the most about Elliott is his knowledge of the game and willingness to learn by going to offensive line meetings and quarterback meetings, and sitting in front of the room.
“When you see players from afar you really don’t have an opinion on what they’re like on their everyday behavior patterns and so forth,” McCarthy said. “Zeke has been a real pro for us. ... He sits up front. A very intelligent football player. Always spending extra time with Dak and the quarterbacks and particularly goes to the offensive line meetings. We had the quarterback center meeting [Wednesday] and he was in there.
“Football comes very natural to him, very easy to him, that’s definitely evident just the way he sees the game. I’ve always admired his talent from afar and even so far here in person because he’s a big-time player.”
Elliott says he goes in the quarterback and line meetings because he’s a big part of protections in the passing game and he needs to know who they are identifying to block so he can be solid in his protections.
He said it’s something he’s always done.
“Just cause I feel like for me to play at my best, I need to know not only what I have to do but what everyone else around me is doing and why my job is my job,” Elliott said. “I like to know what my job is, but also why it is.
“It kind of just started out just me meeting with the O-line in the run game and seeing their fits and how their blocking assignments are. Then it kind of evolved as I wanted to evolve as a player through the years, going, checking in on the quarterbacks. Or going and checking in on the O-line during the pass protection meeting.”
Elliott said it works because he doesn’t have to attend special teams meetings and he’d rather watch film with them than by himself.
That’s another thing that should help him heading into 2020 as opposed to a year ago when he was running alone on the beaches of Cabo.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 5:56 PM.
